Road Trip Part 1. Adelaide to Melbourne

Hooray! an excuse for mini road trip.
We were given tickets to the Avalon Airshow 2013. We could have flown directly into Avalon (45 mins from Adelaide) but having 4 days off work  up our sleeves we decided that a mini road trip was in order.

Follow us as  we drive the Dukes and wind our way back through the Great Ocean Road. I'll share any secret finds along the way.

Adelaide to Nhill
Never one to do things by halves we decided to stay halfway to Melbourne  at  'Motel Halfway' in Nhill Victoria.
This overnight stopover gave us a great head start for Melbourne the next day. All we needed was a clean bed and shower, for $75, Motel Halfway promised this - it even included a 'diner' breakfast.


This family ran, simple, cheap (but needing TLC)  motel is a good spot to lay a weary head and to up & go the next morning.
We enjoyed a kitsch / truckie breakky of  Self serve Vegemite and toast and a hot thermos cuppa to wash  down the 20 or so pieces of Sunblest Super Soft! This one night stopover I call an 'adventure'.

Every cute town deserves a movie to be made about it !  Check out the movie 'Road To Nhill'


"Research and plan 80% of your trip and leave 20% for adventure"
I <heart> using Google for planning holidays. Here is how I go about research and planning:

Firstly I type keywords of your destination, lets say 'Melbourne' followed by 'accommodation' and hit the map on the right. This is what you'll get:

I choose around 4 options based needs, for example:

• Location; Close to trams and things to do (and wine)  And slightly North or West for an easy getaway the next morning
• Budget; $150 - $200
• Free car parking

Next is the fun part, individually look up your options on Trip Advisor.

Trip advisor is a fabulous tool to plan your holiday from.  Read reviews from real people and experiences. Be open minded when reading reviews and read several. We are all indiviual in our tastes and needs, so where something maybe an issue for one person it may not be the case for you. Say you find the perfect accommodation, ideal location, its within in your budget and the amenities are what you need, but the reviews complain of a noise issue from an adjacent pub. This may not be a problem if you are a super duper heavy sleeper or in fact might like to partake in the pub - going activites yourself!
Like wise you may find a place where people praise its 'quietness' but read on to find it is indeed on top of a hill miles from town - this may not be good if you don't have transport.
 Wotif can be good to find any current deals  - but  most times contacting the place personally will save you $$$. Wotif charges sevice fees of about $5.50.

So looks like we have found our perfect spot on Lygon St Melbourne, Seeya there!
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